Did you know that a slow smartphone is one of the top 5 common smartphone issues reported by users around the world? This common issue is not as complicated as it sounds and often can be easily fixed. In this article I will be going over how to speed up your smartphone and give you some advice on how to fix your speed issues so you can get your smartphone running fast and smoothly again.
What Causes A Slow Smartphone?
Smartphones become slow with age but that is not the only cause of a slow smartphone especially if your phone is still quite new. There are actually many reasons a smartphone can be slow and most of them are surprisingly simple to avoid.
Here are 5 common causes of a slow smartphone
Bad Data Or WiFi Connection Having a slow cellular or WiFi connection is a common cause of a slow smartphone. This is because your phone will be working extra hard to try and stay connected to the internet. So if you have a weak signal or bad quality connection it will slow down your phone and can effect cause a lot of performance issues as well..
Low Storage Space As your storage fills it uses more memory and your smartphone can slow to a craw if you have very little to no storage space left. This will cause a lot of performance issues as well and will result in your phone becoming difficult to use. So to avoid problems like this it’s always best to keep an eye on your storage space and always make sure you have some free space available.
Heavy & Power Hungry Apps Heavy apps are apps that take up a lot of storage space and they are also often quite power hungry meaning they use a lot of memory and system resources to run. This slows down your smartphone and even having them run in the background will effect your phone’s performance. So make sure to close and heavy and power hungry apps when you are not using them.
Running Too Many Apps At Once Apps use memory and other system resources to run which means the more apps you have running the more memory and resources they will use. This will in turn slow down your smartphone and can have a big impact on it’s performance.
Having too many apps running in the background can also have the same effect so make sure to have as few apps running as possible to get the best speed and performance out of your smartphone.
Outdated Apps, Software Or Operating System When apps and software on your phone become outdated they can become buggy and slow which effects your smartphone’s performance and slows it down.
The same is true for your operating system and having an outdated OS is even worse it can lead to a whole bunch of issues including security risks, bugs, viruses, a slow phone and much more. So make sure you keep all your apps, software and operating system up to date at all times.
There are other causes of a slow smartphone other than the ones listed above so knowing what can cause a slow smartphone is an important part of troubleshooting. Other causes of a slow smartphone include low battery life, power hungry themes, low amount of RAM and many more.
Once you have identified the cause of your slow smartphone you can then proceed to sorting it out which should fix your problem and will help you avoid a slow smartphone in the future.
You may have noticed that the causes of a slow smartphone are Similar to the causes of a slow computer and that’s because many of these fixes can be used to fix a slow computer as well. If you have a slow computer and want to learn more about fixing it you an do so if you read my article about how to speed up your computer.
How To Speed Up Your Smartphone
Fixing a slow smartphone may seem like a daunting task but it actually isn’t that hard. If you know the cause of your slow phone you can fix it straight away but if you’re not sure what’s causing the issue that’s ok to.
There are a few basic things you can try that will help you troubleshoot and hopefully fix your slow smartphone in the process.
Here’s how to speed up your smartphone
Restart Your Phone
Restarting your smartphone can be a way to speed it up because sometimes it’s all that’s needed. When you restart your smartphone it closes all background apps and processes giving you a fresh and clean state.
This is something you should do every few days especially if you have performance issues or a slow phone. Some smartphones even allow you to set it to automatically restart on a specified day and time but either way make sure to restart your smartphone if it is running slow.
Close Background Apps
Many apps run in the background on your phone and they use memory as they run. So this will slow your phone down especially if you have a lot of apps running in the background.
If your smartphone is running slow check what apps are running in the background and close each one you don’t need open. You can also restart your phone which will close them all automatically.
Clear Cache
Cache is data that builds up automatically as you use apps on your phone and it also takes up storage space. Web browsers and social media apps are common culprits of this and tend to build up a lot of cache but all apps have cache on your phone.
If you have a lot of cache on your phone it will slow it down so you should check and clear cache regularly to prevent any issues. You can clear cache manually or you can get an app that does it for you. But I recommend doing it manually to save you from having to install another app or have further issues with cache clearing apps.
Here’s how to clear the cache for your apps
- Go to Settings
- Go to Apps and notifications
- Tap See All Apps
- Tap an app
- Tap Storage and cache
- Tap Clear Cache
- Repeat this process for all apps on your phone
I know this process may be a bit time consuming especially if you have a lot of apps on your phone but it will help speed it up and can make a big difference to the performance of your smartphone.
Turn Off Live Wallpapers
A live wallpaper is a wallpaper that is animated or has animated elements on it. Live wallpapers sometimes come on your phone by default but there are many that can be downloaded as well.
But live wallpapers are not good for your phone because they will drain your battery and slow your smartphone down. This is because live wallpapers use power to light up elements and images as well as use power from your phone’s processor.
This will effect the speed and performance of your phone over time. So if you are using a live wallpaper disable and switch to a regular wallpaper instead.
Free Up Storage Space
Storage space plays a big part in your phone’s speed and if you have low storage space it will significantly slow down your phone. If your phone’s storage is full or almost full it can slow your smartphone to a crawl.
Always keep an eye on your storage space and remove files, apps and anything else you don’t need on your phone to keep some free space available. It’s also important to keep an eye on cache and junk files as they take up storage space on your phone as well.
As a general rule of thumb try to keep your storage space no more than 70% to 80% full at all times meaning you should make sure you always have at least 20% free space on your phone.
By doing so you will ensure your storage space doesn’t become full or impact the speed and performance of your smartphone.
Address Heavy & Power Hungry Apps
Heavy and power hungry apps are apps that take up a lot of storage space and use a lot of memory and other system resources. They will slow down your phone so you need take a look and see if you have these kind of apps on your phone.
If you you should start by removing any heavy and power hungry apps that you don’t really need. If you any apps of this type that you need or want try looking for a Lite version instead. Some popular apps like Facebook, Messenger and Linkedin have Lite versions.
These Lite versions of apps are lightweight and will not take up much storage space nor will they use many resources to run. If you need or want to keep any heavy or power hungry apps on your phone try to keep as few as possible.
Be sure to close them when you’re not using them and keep an eye on the regularly. Sorting out heavy and power hungry apps will help your phone perform better and then you will have a faster smartphone as well.
Avoid Task Killers
Task killers are apps that monitor and kill background apps and processes on your phone. Some of them also allow you to clear cache and remove junk files from your phone.
Popular ones include Greenify, KillApps, SnapStats and iMonitor but these apps can be harmful to your phone. Task killers take up storage space on your phone just like any other app and they can slow your phone down.
This will result in performance issues and a slow smartphone so I highly recommend avoiding task killers and managing your apps and cache manually instead.
Remove Unused Apps
Unused apps can slow your phone down because they take up storage space and some also run in the background. This will slow your phone down so make sure you regularly check what apps you have on your phone and remove any that you don’t use.
You will notice a difference even it is only small but you will have a faster smartphone.
Check Your Internet Connection
A bad or slow internet connection will slow your phone down because your phone will work harder to try to stay connected to the internet. So make sure you keep an eye on your internet connection and make sure you get it sorted if it is bad or slow.
Even a weak signal can slow your phone down so if you take the quality of your internet connection more seriously and you will have a faster smartphone.
Update Apps & Operating System
Outdated apps can be slow and buggy as well as cause a slow phone so if your phone is running slow make sure to check your apps for updates.
An outdated operating system is even worse because it will not only slow your phone down but can lead to a whole bunch of issues. This includes bugs, lag, viruses, malware, security risks, performance issues and much more.
So always make sure your operating system is up to date and if you are having issues with your smartphone being slow make sure to check and make sure your operating system is up to date.
You should always make sure your apps and operating system are up to date at all times and this means you should check for updates regularly. It’s also a good idea to turn on automatic updates if you haven’t already so you don’t miss anything.
Keeping your apps and operating system up to date will give you a more secure and faster smartphone.
By now you hopefully have fixed your issue that was making your smartphone slow. If you are still having problems you will probably need to do some further troubleshooting or you could have a bigger issue with your smartphone.
How To Speed Up Your Smartphone If It Remains Slow?
If none of the above fixes worked and you are still having trouble with a slow smartphone it is likely something more serious is going on with your smartphone.
It might be a hardware issue or something else going on with your phone and if your phone is old it may be time to get a new one. But before you panic or rush out to buy a new smartphone you need to know what else you can do to see if you can fix your slow smartphone.
So let’s take a look at that now
Hardware Issues
Smartphones slow down with age but if your phone is still fairly new or you suddenly start experiencing a slow phone or other issues it could be related to your phone’s hardware.
Another indication of hardware issues is if you have tried all possible fixes for a slow phone and nothing is fixing the issue then it may very well be an issue with the hardware in your phone.
A lot of freezing and crashes along with worsening performance over time are all signs of failing RAM in your phone. Failing RAM and other hardware issues will cause a slow phone and also much worse issues.
The best way to know if you have hardware issues with your smartphone is to take it to a phone repair shop to have it looked at, diagnosed and repaired.
Factory Reset
One other thing you can try if no other fixes speed up your phone is a factory reset. A factory reset is the process of restoring your phone to it’s factory settings like the state it was in when your first bought it.
A factory reset is also known as a hard reset and will usually fix most issues on your phone so I recommend you try it if you run out of options.
Be aware that a factory reset will erase all user data, files and settings on your phone as well as any apps you have installed that didn’t come with your phone. So make sure you backup anything important before you start the factory reset so you can restore it later.
Here’s how to factory reset your Android phone
- Go to Settings
- Go to System
- Go to Advanced Settings
- Tap Reset Options
- Tap Delete All Data
- Tap Erase All Data to begin the factory reset
Here’s how to factory reset your iPhone
- Go to Settings
- Go to General
- Tap Transfer Or Reset
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings
- Enter your passcode and tap to confirm and begin the factory reset
Once the factory reset is done be aware that you will need to go through the setup process again and set your phone up from scratch as if it was brand new.
This includes adding your accounts and other data to your phone again but is worth doing if you are out of options and it can fix the issues hat you are having with your smartphone and solve your speed issues as well.
The Final Straw
If all else fails and you can’t or don’t want to get any hardware issues fixed and factory reset doesn’t solve your issues then it might be time for you to get a new smartphone.
If your smartphone is old or you have low end smartphone that is bad quality then buying a new phone is for the best. But even if that doesn’t apply to you getting a new smartphone may sometimes be the only option left.
But in many cases a slow smartphone is not hard to fix and with a bit of troubleshooting using the fixes stated earlier in this article you should be able to fix your smartphone and get it running fast and smoothly again.
Conclusion
In conclusion a slow smartphone is one of the most common issues reported by smartphone users around the world. It is often caused by bad internet connections, low storage space and outdated apps and operating systems.
Easy ways to fix a slow smartphone include restarting it, clearing cache, closing background apps and updating apps and the operating system.
If nothing like that works you may have to try a factory reset or you could have a hardware issues that needs fixing by a phone repair shop. If all else fails you might have to buy a new smartphone and if you have an old or bad quality smartphone this is the best option.
But in many cases a slow smartphone can be easily fixed with some basic troubleshooting and then you will be able to get your smartphone up and running fast and smoothly again.
Thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this article about how to speed up your smartphone. If you have any questions or if you need any help let me know in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may have noticed that the causes of a slow smartphone are Similar to the causes of a slow computer and that’s because many of these fixes can be used to fix a slow computer as well. If you have a slow computer and want to learn more about fixing it you an do so if you read my article about how to speed up your computer.